2020 Nissan Titan Gains New Look, Power and Tech

The full-size truck segment is a fiercely competitive one in the United States, with Detroit’s Big Three claiming the vast majority of sales, leaving import brands like Japan’s Nissan no choice but to work overtime to get any attention at all.

On that note, say hello to the 2020 Nissan Titan – the latest iteration of Nissan’s full-size pickup, unveiled today at the State Fair of Texas. The truck, which entered into its current (second) generation in the U.S. for 2016, receives numerous important updates to keep it viable into the future.

Granted, much of the emphasis for the 2020 Nissan Titan appears to have been on paring down the model line to get rid of excess fat. The single-row Regular Cab configuration will no longer be available, leaving only the extended King and Crew Cab configurations. Perhaps more notably, Nissan is pulling the plug on its 5.0L Cummins Turbodiesel V8; from 2020, all Titans will be powered by the automaker’s 5.6L gasoline V8 – which, it should be noted, now delivers an impressive 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque on Premium gas.

At the same time, the 2020 Nissan Titan gains two forward gears, pairing its 5.6L V8 with a nine-speed automatic transmission in place of the outgoing seven-speed. The front end has been given a brand new grille design, while at the rear sit restyled tailgate finishers. The lights have been tweaked at both ends of the truck, with LEDs providing illumination for the headlamps, daytime running lights, and taillights.

Inside the cabin, a “family-oriented interior redesign” sees a nine-inch touchscreen with internal WiFi router placed in the center console, including standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, alongside a seven-inch programmable display within the instrument panel. Nissan has kicked the Titan’s active safety tech up a notch, too, including Nissan Safety Shield 360 as standard on all trims. That suite incorporates six technologies under one umbrella: Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Assist, and class-exclusive Rear Automatic Braking.